Yesterday 'Cherry Blossom' passed her MOT but on the way home I noticed that something wasn't right, as the Brake Pump kept cutting in!

So today I took her out for a short Test Drive and exactly the same thing happened, up until the moment that I drove her into the Garage, where I heard an almighty rush of what I thought was Air

Which was exactly the same kind of noise that you would get if you pulled the pipe of an Air Compressor and although the Engine was switched off, that noise seemed to go on for ever

At which point the whole Garage was filled with a White Mist, like you might get if you sprayed a room with Air Freshener, at which point I got out of the Car and lifted up the Bonnet/Hood

Where the whole of the Engine Compartment was covered in Brake Fluid, which was also dripping out of everywhere and that White Mist was also Brake Fluid which was hanging in the Air!

At which point the GF and myself were throwing buckets of soapy water all over the Bodywork, as the Hose Pipe wasn't long enough to reach

But although the 'Black Ball' Accumulator was still very tightly screwed in, Brake Fluid under Pressure, had somehow managed to find a way of travelling up the threads and just in case anyone asks, the rubber 'O' ring was still in place

So what could have happened?

Even for an Emergency Stop, you really don't need to hit the Pedal that hard, so what I think may have happened, is that during the MOT the Tester may have put his full weight on the Pedal, which may have got through the Loc-Tight

Where after that, it may have been only a matter of time before the Brake Fluid broke through and then broke out like the Mist you would get from a Spray Gun

Absolutely Terrifying! and I only hope we have done enough to prevent any damage to the Paintwork, though not sure what to do next, as that is one thing that I do not want to ever happen again!

I will also go into more detail and what I've decided to do, the next time that I update my 'Cherry Blossom' restoration Thread

 

Hi OB,

Sorry to hear about your tribulations and hope your paintwork survives.

I haven't had to tinker with my "black ball" so far so haven't explored how they work and failure mechanisms / replacements so all I can offer is sympathy. My MGF has hydropneumatic suspension and various firms offer recharging services for suspension spheres so maybe that is a possibility for a rebuild should you need one. I also believe that the same black ***** were supplied to various other makes in the US so you may be able to get cheaper replacements stateside.

Good luck with CB - at least she has an MoT now.

Cheers,
LeeP

 

Hi Lee

Cheers!

But I'm not sure that its anything to do with the pressure inside the Ball but more that Brake Fluid is somehow getting round the threads and spraying out, even though I used loc-tite

 

OB,
If the threads are a little worn but still functional perhaps PFTE tape would help. It is what plumbers use to seal screw fittings.
LeeP

 

Hi Lee

Although I haven't had a chance to investigate what happened, that sounds like a Brilliant idea!

So Thanks for that suggestion!